THIS IS THE LETTER I RECEIVED TELLING ME I WOULD BE FIRED ON DECEMBER 22. The typing in red is my response to the charges.

November 22, 2011 Ms. Heidi Frazer-Cherry 34858 Pembroke Avenue Livonia, MI 48152 Dear Ms. Frazer-Cherry: Please be advised that at its meeting of December 22, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at 15125 Farmington Road, Livonia, Michigan 48154, the Board of Education of the Livonia Public Schools School District will consider and act upon the Administrations recommendation that you be demoted to the position of classroom teacher, and that your Administrator Contract be terminated. The reasons for this recommendation, and the charges against you, are as follows: 1. On October 12, 2011, School District Director of Human Resources, Michael Fenchel, placed a phone call to you. It had come to Mr. FencheI's attention that you had visited students residences during the evening hours, and he had concerns expressed to him regarding your safety in doing so. The only reason for Mr. Fenchels call was to express that concern to you. However, as a result of that simple statement of concern, you responded with an email that cancelled your attendance at a meeting scheduled for October 21, 2011 at Emerson Middle School to discuss these students. Your e-mail inappropriately and disrespectfully states, Since my whereabouts are of high level of concern to unnamed sources, l certainly do not wish to have another unnamed source reporting to HR that I was visiting with former students at school during the school day and not in my own building. Despite the fact that Mr. Fenchel never requested or directed that you cancel your participation in this meeting, you used his phone call as the ostensible reason for doing so. Moreover, you sent this e-mail to a number of individuals who had no need to know of your conversation with Mr. Fenchel, and who thereby became subject to your mischaracterization of Mr. Fenchel's conversation with you. When Human Resources called me that afternoon on my personal cell phone so they did not have to go through my secretary, HR told me that they wanted me to leave my school to come to Central Office immediately. I asked why. I was told to come immediately, again. I began becoming concerned and asked if the call was of a serious nature and HR told me, Well, yes and no. I stated that when my boss called me during the day ordering me out of a busy building, it sounded serious. I then began to cry. The HR person then told me that an unnamed source had told him that I was visiting homes of students at night in high crime areas. He told me that principals do not do this anymore and that it is a thing of the past. I told him that I did make a house call on my own time after eating at I-HOP on I-96 and Middlebelt with my husband. I did so because Emerson Middle School Staff had told me that two of my former students were at risk and they knew I might be able to get through to them as I had mentored these children. I went to one of their homes (mom was home) and talked to the kids (remaining outside) about my concerns about them. I have long standing relationships (good ones) with both families and was not at all concerned about my safety. I told HR that we often delivered clothes and other resources to this area without police escort and that I was not afraid of crime. HR then told me, Well, I see that you were there during the day and on your own timenot like youre taking time away from your own school during the day. That makes me feel better. I then told him that the following week I had sought the principals permission (and informed the Director of Elementary Instruction) that I would be going to meet with Emerson staff about these kids to see what else I might be able to do to mentor them or help 1

set up support plans. This was fine with the principal. However, the HR directors language about glad you were not out of your school made me feel like I needed to cancel this meeting and stay out of that school and pay attention to the school I am assigned to. I did not want another unnamed source reporting me to HR and getting another demand to come to Central Office in the middle of the day and leave my children at the school. At this point, a colleague working with these children at Emerson then wrote an email siding with me and stating that her own car had been car-jacked from the parking lot at Emerson and no one seemed overly concerned about that. I was then hauled into HR after my colleagues supportive email. The only questions the two HR folks had for me (another 3 on 1 meeting) was how many employees might have seen this email. Never once did they ask about the children involved or their situations. The only people I copied on this email were those directly involved with the students in the situationincluding those that had called ME to ask for help. I told HR that I needed to cancel the meeting because HRs language about me being in my own building during the day put me in a trickbag of sorts. He would not tell me who the unnamed source was who had reported my whereabouts. I did feel upset and angry at this point and was sobbing. I told HR that if he was so damn interested in my whereabouts, he should install Lojack on my car and that he would find I have a pretty boring life, home, work, home work 2. When you were given an opportunity to tell your side of the story regarding the issues summarized in No. 1 above on October 17, 2011, you stated that you intended to absent yourself from work, and in fact did so, on an approved medical leave that you requested from October 18 through October 24, 2011. Prior to and during this absence, a number of issues were brought to the attention of the Administration that required investigation. As a result, you were placed upon administrative leave with full pay and benefits pending investigation on October 24, 2011, and were informed as to the reasons for this action. At the time that you were informed that you were being placed upon this administrative leave with full pay and benefits pending investigation, you acted inappropriately and disrespectfully, and in an insubordinate manner, by stating to Director of Human Resources Michael Fenchel that "this all started when you showed up, but then again, Ive heard about you and your issues with women. Ive heard thats part of your past." After my colleagues rather impassioned response to the above I was directed to Central Office again. My union had already been called and had already been discussing this with the HR directors who were both there during this slap-down meeting. They were furious that a colleague had responded in support of me and had copied more folks who needed to be at the meeting that would now be canceled. One of the HR directors told me that his informant was a police officer who told him I was in the crime ridden neighborhood and was in danger. I now became very nervous that the police were stalking my whereabouts. Again, never once did either the HR director or my union representation ask me if the children were okay and getting their needs met now that my meeting was canceled. Instead, they walked out and stated that they needed to discuss whether or not I would be able to go to my school or be placed on leave for embarrassing the district with these emails that had gone only to professionals that needed to know of the meeting cancellation. When they returned they told me I was out on leave. I became very upset, heart pounding and crying. They told me that they would have decisions about my charges (scary word for an educator) by Wednesday of that week. I knew that I was not in any condition to go to my school shaking and crying. I told them that I would go to my doctor and be off for a few days. I have been bullied in the past by LPS staff and have had to take time off once before (in 18 years) to recover from the harassment. I did state to the male HR director, in my anger, that I had heard that when he was a principal, he had trouble with women in his school and that I did not understand why he would not leave me alone.

3. After being placed upon administrative leave with full pay and benefits pending investigation on October 24, 2011, you contacted members of the Livonia Public Schools Board of Education, and informed them that a co-worker of yours, whom you identified by name, and who works in a separate school building from Rosedale Elementary School, had threatened to commit suicide with a gun a number of years ago. This statement is wholly inappropriate, and even if true, constitutes an unwarranted invasion of this individuals privacy. Being put on leave made me very upset, I went to the doctor and had a racing heart and was crying. He gave me 5 days to rest and recover as he had seen me this way on one other occasion after a meeting with LPS staff. The co-worker referred to above told me that they were suicidal and gave me detailed descriptions of how they were going to shoot themselves with a gun. This is a person who had told me they were depressed, had told me they were sick of their job, and had written notes to me repeatedly in the previous weeks that they wanted to resign. This person had told me in previous weeks that their marriage was on the rocks and that their spouse was drinking. I was genuinely worried about this person and called HR to get them help. When I called to say I was worried about this person being unstable around children in my school, I was told that HR was in negotiations and could not be disturbed. I then called HR at home that night and HR told me that they were packing for vacation (Vegas I think) and for me to tell the suicidal person to call HR in the AM. I felt badly that this was being put on me. The co-worker was incredibly angry that I had told anyone about the threat. Officials from LPS came out the following day to tell me that everything was fine and to just go on as usual. As soon as they left, the coworker became very insolent with me and I was afraid of retribution with the safety of several hundred children in the mix. Security came back and removed the co-worker from the school. Then, the following day, I was taken to HR and told to call the co-worker to see if they were going to commit suicide as the threat might be real now that they had been taken off of work. I told them I did not think I should be involved.but made the call from HRs office with the district lawyer, on the speaker phone. I could go onbut I told the Board Members this story so that they could see what I have been through as an employee and the reckless manner in which Human Resources took serious matters. I did what I was told. This incident occurred several years ago. 4. Upon being placed upon administrative leave with full pay and benefits pending investigation on October 24, 2011, you made a number of untrue public statements concerning the reasons you were placed on this administrative leave. Those statements include: The statements you read below are from my private Twitter account which one of our LPS principals (my own colleague) bragged publicly about stalking. She told this to folks at day care while picking up her children. She also added, Shes gonna lose her job. This particular principal is a good friend of the Director of Elementary Instruction and would have that inside information. ALL STATEMENTS ARE 10O% true and did NOT identify me or my city or location or names in any way. I was a scared person home on leave and told not to speak to anyone or to be on school grounds. I was scared and alone. I was looking for help. I knew that it was my issues with race that had been brought up at a meeting on September 22 at 3:30 pm at the Career Center. This September 22 meeting was at my behest because I wanted to understand why I could not hire a woman of Indian decent in my office when the secretary left for lunch one day a week. I was told by the Director of Elementary Instruction at that meeting that I was moving too fast. I was also told at that meeting with the Director of Elementary Instruction, my union President, and HR that I could not use the term racism in this district. I began to cry realizing just how ugly things were becoming. I shared with them that teachers believed Indian children had lice and that Indian people were dirty and did not even know how to check for lice. I told those in attendance at this September 22 meeting that Black children were treated with disrespect by the staff and were blamed for wrongs they did not commit. Furthermore, I told them that English Language Learners had been taught in a 3

storage room while other teachers had more than one room. I was told about the ELL teacher, Shell make you some great ethnic food, but she is not a real teacher. Again, I could write volumes here on the inappropriate behavior and profiling of poor, minority, and ESL students in the school. I received no support and was, instead lectured on leadership and moving too fast. I sobbed in my car for 45 minutes before I could drive as it was the night of my open house at the new school. I cried so hard at the school that the custodian on duty had to see if I was okay. I made it right, walked out and greeted parents. The Director of Elementary Instruction came, visited, and smiled and the HR Director texted me later with Hope things went well tonight. So I knew that with this meeting preceding, that the other issues were about the racial information I had shared. In fact, my director had told me that the school needed a warmer feel and the United Nations population needed some wrinkles worked out so that they were more accepted. This conversation happened in the summer of 2011 prior to my moving into my current school. These were the charges SHE gave ME. From my stalked, private TWITTER account while on leave without any real reason: Out on indefinite leave because I will not allow racial profiling," I am an administrator in whitest district in Michigan. On leave for 2nd week for refusing to allow racial profiling. Elementary principal in MI out on indefinite leave for visiting trailer parks and combating racism. "l am a public school administrator put on leave because I am fighting racism in a very racist white Midwest community "Michigan principal in whitest city in USA sits home on leave with no reason given because she will not allow racial profiling." In fact, as you were informed on October 24, 2011, the reasons for which you were placed upon administrative leave with full pay and benefits pending investigation were that the incident referenced in Paragraph 1 above had not been fully resolved, and it was necessary for the School District to investigate concerns that had been raised by the staff of Rosedale Elementary School. The investigator was given my case on the 24th of October and the LEA union leader told him that while there had been a couple of concerns she had shared with the Director of Elementary Instruction, she did not see why there had to be an investigation. She said, The staff does not want Heidi in trouble. No staff issues had been formally brought to me by the Director of Elementary Instruction. So I knew nothing except that I wrote an email canceling a meeting at Emerson due to unnamed sources telling Human Resources that I was visiting kids on my own time. I sat home while the district paid my salary and the salary of a retired principal so the district could go on a witch hunt, scare me, and get me out. 5. The School Districts investigation has resulted in the conclusion that, despite your role as the highest ranking administrator at Rosedale Elementary School, on numerous occasions, you have acted in a fashion that has been unprofessional, lacking in judgment, intimidating to members of your staff, disrespectful and offensive to members of your staff and Central Office Administrators, and have engaged in misrepresentation and actions designed to divide and pit members of your staff against one another. Those incidents include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: (a). You have portrayed your staff as cold-hearted, unwelcoming, unfriendly, and unwilling to assume schoolbased responsibilities. This has been demoralizing to your staff. I praised the staff repeatedly in Weekly Updates which I can furnish upon request thanking them for every single thing they did. I was told by several of them that they were a very union building and that they did not do extras. I was also told by senior staffers that they had been bullied for 12 years and that another one seldom came out of her room due to the bullying. With only 11 teachers there were 2 staff 4

lounges due to the fact that teachers did not get along. Several refused to address me in any way or even make eye contact with me as their administrator. When I offered for folks to come and meet me in the summer at Starbucks (my treat) only 2 came the whole summer. I asked repeatedly. No response. I did get a couple of emails. We were the only school that did not have a Math Representative in the entire district and we were the only staff that did not have representation on another highly important district committee examining at risk students. I asked each week (in the written weekly update) for help. Additionally, a new staff member who came in September had things stolen from her office area and no one would assist her with her new job as an instructional materials representative. I did share with her that I thought it sad that the persons doing this job in the past did not step forward to assist her and help. When the Director of Elementary Instruction (whose school this once wasshe started her career at this school as a principal) asked one of her former staff members to step up to a committee, she turned the Director down. This was a seasoned staff member and I told her in an email that I totally supported her decision to put her family and children first. This is one of the people that later told my investigator that she was not getting any sleep and that I had made the school a divided and miserable place to work. We had also shared friendly text messages and emails in which I profusely thanked her for the outstanding job she was doing in making sure parents were so well communicated with. (b) You have repeatedly stated to members of your staff at Rosedale Elementary School words to the effect that the School Districts Director of Elementary and Special Programs, Andrea Oquist, has stated to you that you were given the charge of, and placed at Rosedale Elementary School to, clean up racism at that school in the next five (5) years. Ms. Oquist never made any such statement, and it was totally inappropriate for you to have made such a statement to members of your staff. While the director never stated clean-up racism she did state that there were issues in the school concerning acceptance of changing demographics. She knew this work to be a passion of mine and I thanked her for allowing me to work there. I felt honored. This was not something I shared with staff. I repeatedly told them what a beautiful school they had made and that it looked like a little jewelry box inside and out. I praised them for the trust they had built in our minority and nonEnglish speaking parents because they brought us their children. I did tell staff that I have never been in a job longer than 5 years as I do love change. The rest is a lie. I did tell staff that I had a lot of training in race and changing demographics and that I was excited to work with them toward making our school the very best it could be and that they had obviously set all of the ground work for that to happen. Furthermore, you denied making this statement when asked at a meeting on September 22, 2011; (I did deny this statement as I did not say it.) (c). You have informed members of your staff that when they see you holding up three (3) fingers (the forefinger, middle finger, and ring finger), it means that they should read between the lines," as in giving such a gesture, you are really giving the finger." Thereafter, members of your staff have seen you use this gesture; (We teachers do have to be very Mother Theresa-ish all day every day. I remember telling one staff member this in the hallway as she was VERY angry at having to fill out her own tickets for technology fixes to be made. She thought this was someone elses job. I told her that sometimes you just have to (three fingers on my cheek) think.eh, read between the lines in life and move on. I thought it was humorous and so did she. Or so I thought. (d). You have informed members of your staff that when you use three (3) dots (i.e. ...) in your written communication it has the same meaning as the three (3) fingers in (b) above, or that you don't give

a shit." You have thereafter used this code" in your written communications with your staff, which has made members of your staff uncomfortable; This three dot code is one I used at my former schools and the dots are called points of ellipses. They are commonly used in writing when needing a pause for the reader. I told staff that with deadlines that I was not so worried about such as Your IRW scores are due in my office on January 9 the three dots were code for dont worryyoull have a little more timedont panic. (e). Without the permission of any of your staff members, you took it upon yourself to change all Mrs. designations on the schools website to Ms.," stating that black women find the Mrs. designation to be offensive. In fact, your actions were offensive to members of your staff; I re-did the website for my school prior to even school starting. None (save 2) staff members would meet with me. So I called them all Ms. on the website as I did not think their marital status was my business to call them about. None ever asked me to change it on the website. The website for my school was in total disarraylinks did not work, information was years old, names needed updating, and it was embarrassing. I did the best I could to update with no one to help in the summer. I began work on August 1 even though I was not due to report until the 17th. I have always referred to women as Ms., rather than risk offending them by saying the wrong thing about their marital status. (f). You have characterized certain members of your staff as racists to other staff members. Parents have certainly screamed that staff members in my school are racists and one staff member came to me in the second week of school and asked me Where are the KKK hoods around here? I am not stupid enough to call the staff racists. I did tell them that some of the statements they were making in meetings (Indians have lice and need to be lice checked.) were discriminatory and I would not allow them to continue making these statements as they were in violation of the law. A summary of the evidence supporting these reasons and charges is set forth above, and in the enclosed report of the School District's Administrator of Human Resources and Public Safety, Mark Schultz. (I am happy to show anyone the sad, flawed report of a one sided directive to damage my reputation. In it, a staff member complained that I sent her the following text at 9 pm waking her up: Hope your training went well today! : ) This behavior, taken individually or collectively, represents a serious breach of your duties and obligations to the School District and its staff and students, sets an inappropriate example for other School District employees and students, displays a disregard for the special responsibilities of an educator, has had an adverse effect upon the School District, its staff and its students, and is inconsistent with the values the School District is attempting to teach. The foregoing, taken individually or collectively, constitutes just cause for your disciplinary demotion to the position of classroom teacher, and the termination of your Administrator Contract. Should you wish to address the Board of Education relative to these reasons and charges, you may do so at the Board of Education meeting of December 22, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. at 15125 Farmington Road, Livonia, Michigan 48154. In accordance with the Michigan Open Meetings Act, the Board will consider these charges in closed session if, and only if, you request that it do so.

Effective immediately, your employment status is converted to administrative leave with full pay and benefits, pending further action by the Board of Education. Sincerely, Dr. Randy A. Liepa Superintendent

I am no lawyer, nor can I afford the millions of dollars in legal help Dr. Liepa has. But they came after me once I told them about the racial issues. They also know that I am a woman of integrity and would not let go of them. I fought our Administration at my last school too.worrying constantly about the toxic site across the street and the graveyard next door where my kids watched coffins being lowered into the ground (no one would erect a fence despite my begging). The Superintendent is SICK and TIRED of me and my advocacy. Why didnt they investigate the race piece? Why 4 weeks on paid leave to find only this? YOU paid for me to STAY HOME. Just wanted you to know what youll be missing as they fire one of your principals who is DOING her job for your kids. Youre all the help I have now. You are all invited to my demotion on December 22 at 6 pm where the Board will vote to fire me. You decide. With my heart Heidi 248-444-3829 PS The superintendent has not spoken to me in more than a year and will not meet with me.